Location:

Based in Manilla, Philippines, with travel in the Philippines on a need basis

Reporting Manager:

Programme Manager

Start date:

As soon as possible

Duration:

To be engaged as needed until October 2024. Flexibility is required as the project may be extended beyond this date.

Type:

Project based

Remuneration:

Applicants are requested to provide their day rate, with their application.

Application Deadline:

Ongoing until position is filled

MAGENTA is a leading Social and Behavioural Change (SBC) agency that specializes in understanding human decision-making processes in order to design behavioural insight solutions for positive change. We implement programmes across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America using the latest in behavioural science principles and a rigorous approach to research, strategy, intervention and campaign design and implementation.

Our client base includes UN agencies, INGOs, governments and the private sector. We aim to amplify the voices of local actors while bringing international expertise and methodological rigour. To do so, we partner with civil society, creative agencies, media, and academics to design innovative, relevant and impactful solutions to some of the most challenging problems of our time. Whether we are aiming to shift parenting practices to improve children’s outcomes or to understand how social norms underpin corruption, we always go the extra mile to ensure we can create a positive impact for some of the most underserved populations in the world.

Project Overview

Nutrition serves as a foundational element in fostering sustainable human development. Enhanced nutrition results in improved well-being for infants and mothers, fortified immune systems, safer pregnancies and childbirth, and increased longevity. Optimal nutrition contributes to better learning among children, as evidenced by the adverse effects of childhood stunting, including diminished learning outcomes, academic performance, productivity, and adult wages.

In the Philippines, malnutrition poses a significant threat to its economic growth, with high rates of childhood stunting, underweight, and wasting. Early deficits in foetal and child growth usually stem from inadequate maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy. Approximately 30 percent of children under five are affected by stunting, with 19 percent being underweight and 6 percent wasted (Expanded National Nutrition Survey, 2019). The long-term impact is profound, hindering the full development of human capital, resulting in adverse effects on labour market productivity and economic growth at the national level. The economic burden in 2015 alone was estimated at a minimum of US$4.4 billion, equivalent to 1.5 percent of the Philippines GDP.[1] Hence, emphasizing nutrition among pregnant women is not only crucial for maternal and child well-being but also a vital step toward fostering the country’s economic growth.

Emphasising the importance of nutrition for child development, the Philippine government, in collaboration with the UN and World Bank, has launched the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project. This initiative employs a multi-sectoral approach to nutrition, delivering a comprehensive set of interventions, across diverse Local Government Units (LGUs). The project’s objectives include tackling malnutrition through geographic alignment, investing in interventions on both the supply and demand sides, encouraging nutrition achievements at the LGU level, and prioritizing equity to enhance the nation’s overall nutrition and health outcomes. Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3, the project contributes to ending hunger, addressing all forms of malnutrition, and promoting good health and well-being.

In line with this project, MAGENTA is supporting UNICEF Philippines in developing an impactful SBC campaign, targeting households with pregnant women and children 0-2 years old, including formative research, strategy design, and campaign asset development to support the overall Philippines Multisectoral Nutrition Project in achieving nutritional outcomes in targeted LGUs to eliminate stunting related behaviours. The overall project will be broken down into 3 phases:

Phase 1: Inception – this phase includes kicking off the assignment, conducting a desk review, and developing and finalising the methodology for the remainder of the assignment.
Phase 2: Formative Research and Media Audit – this phase includes conducting formative research to inform the strategy and campaign, as well as conducting a media audit of the Philippines media landscape.
Phase 3: SBC Strategy & Asset Development – this phase includes developing the SBC strategy through a participatory approach, developing the campaign branding, and developing and testing campaign content.

About the Assignment

MAGENTA is looking for an SBC expert based in the Philippines, to join our international team and provide expertise and assistance in the implementation the project. The SBC expert will be engaged throughout the entirety of the project; however, their support will be mainly centred around Phase 3 of the assignment.

The SBC Experts role will involve collaborating with MAGENTA to develop and design a comprehensive SBC Strategy. This strategy will build on the insights gathered from the inception phase as well as the formative research and media audit. The SBC strategy will reflect our understanding of the complex drivers behind the priority behaviours we want to promote to reduce malnutrition among children aged 0-5 in the Philippines. The overall strategy will be developed in a participatory manner with stakeholders through in-person co-creation workshops. The strategy will include:

The main barriers and motivators that affect the uptake of parental behaviours conducive to healthy children, in particular behaviours that can help reduce stunting and wasting, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity among young children.
The target audiences as well as potential influencers and enablers.
The most suitable communication channels and agree on contextually appropriate SBC interventions and activities.
A guide for LGUs to enhance their local SBC planning, costing, and implementation of interventions.
A monitoring and feedback system to track, assess, and adjust SBC interventions.
Above-the-line audio or audio-visual SBC materials for media.
A Mother and Child book that services as both a job aid and scorecard.
A brand manual.

By engaging the SBC Expert, MAGENTA aims to develop an effective SBC Strategy that aims to reduce practices, attitudes, and behaviors, leading to malnutrition among children aged 0-5 in the Philippines.

Responsibilities

The consultant will receive individual tasks as needed, and the anticipated time required to complete each task will be mutually agreed upon and serve as the basis for invoicing and payment. While not exhaustive, the SBC Expert will have the following key responsibilities:

Ensure that behavioral science principles and best practices in social and behavioral change are incorporated effectively throughout the development of key project deliverables. This will involve utilizing evidence-based approaches to drive behavior change and maximize the impact of the SBC strategy.
Ensure that the Philippines context is taken into consideration throughout the development of key project deliverables.
Share pertinent resources, literature, and research findings that can inform and enrich the development of the SBC strategy, and other key deliverables.
Support in reviewing and analysing data collection during the formative research phase.
Support in developing workshop materials for the strategy co-design workshop, including brainstorming workshop activities for generating human insights.
Participate in the co-design workshop.
Contribute actively to drafting the SBC strategy document, and other key annexes such as the M&E framework and the implementation plan.
Contribute actively to developing the communication materials, the LGU SBC guide and the Mother and Child book, by applying behavioral science best practice and context from the Philippines.
Support the pre-testing of communications materials.
Actively participate in regular project meetings with the MAGENTA team, UNICEF team, and other relevant stakeholders. Engage in collaborative discussions, share updates, and contribute insights to facilitate the smooth progress of the project.

Requirements

Based in the Philippines.
Willing to travel in-country to support the implementation of the project of needed.
Minimum 8 years of experience in designing, developing, and implementing social and behaviour change strategies and interventions in the Philippines.
Experience working in Nutrition and Health is an asset.
Experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies, or other INGOs is an asset.
Experience working with the Government of the Philippines is an asset.
Written and oral fluency in Tagalog and English is a must.